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always for the community VOL 24 NO 5
Mau 2019
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SPOTLIGHT
Concert featuring Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 (Pastoral) with participation by members of the San Ramon Valley High School orchestra Danville students Gabriella DugganCochran, Ethan Yoo and Emily Martin, members of the San Ramon Valley High School Orchestra, join the Diablo Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven’s glorious Pastoral Symphony on May 19 at 2:00 pm at the Lesher
ECRWSS
Postmaster: Dated Material
PRESORTED STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID DANVILLE, CA PERMIT NO. 70
See SYMPHONY page 5
On Saturday, April 13, families gathered at Danville’s Front Street Community center to celebrate Earth Day. This was a free, informative event for all ages and included Nature with Peanuts from the Charles M. Schultz Museum, interactive educational mobile exhibits from East Bay Regional Park District, information on the new MCE Clean Energy effort and a nature walk with Friends of San Ramon Creek. Photo is of a previous Earth Day celebration, courtesy of the Town of Danville.
The Belted Kingfisher By James M. Hale
The Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) is a fascinating bird species that is a year-round resident in Contra Costa County. They most likely had their origins from an ancestor that colonized the Americas. In 1758, the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus was the first to formally describe the species in his tenth edition of his Systema Naturae. The genus Megaceryle is from the ancient Greek for “great, fabulous sea-bird”. The specific epithet alcyon, is Latin for “kingfisher”. The oldest known Kingfisher fossil is two million years old from Alachua County, Florida. The Belted Kingfisher is the only kingfisher commonly found in the northern United States and Canada. It breeds near inland bodies of water, or along the coasts across most of the United States, Canada, and Alaska. Northern birds migrate south to the southern United States,
Mexico, and Central America, during the fall when the water freezes, to avoid inclement weather. It is a permanent resident in warmer parts of its range. The Belted Kingfisher is a stocky, medium-sized bird with a wingspan of up to two feet. Large individuals may reach fourteen inches in length and weigh up to a half pound. Females are slightly larger than males. Common features to many kingfisher species are the large head with a shaggy crest, and long, heavy, black bill with a grey base. Both the male and female Belted Kingfisher have a slate blue head, large white collar, a large blue band on the breast, and white underparts. The back and wings are slate blue with black feather tips with little white tips. It is
unusual that only the adult females have a rufous band accenting across their upper belly and extending down their flanks. Juveniles of both sexes feature the rufous accent band. Juvenile males have mottled bands while juvenile females have thinner rufous bands. The Belted Kingfisher is sexually dichromatic, with the males more brightly colored than the females.
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The loud, raucous, rattling call of the Belted Kingfisher is immediately recognizable, and identifies the species. They are frequently seen prominently perched on their favorite “watchpoints” close to water. These tree branches, posts, and utility wires give the Belted Kingfisher a vantage point for
Spring Home & Garden pages 8-9
Senior Services pages 10-11
See KINGFISHER page 7